"Then it [the cable] went back into the drone and it took off back to the base. It all happened in a minute or two," he said.

"The drone was a metre or so wingspan with four propellers, battery operated. It's probably like a big bat."

Mr Parfitt said the service could open the door to advancements with the way medical aid and emergency relief were delivered.

"I was thinking of one with a snake bite, when they need an anti-venom and they need to get the anti-venom to them quickly," he said.

"There's probably heaps more, like if someone collapses and they need something urgent.

"These drones can fly pretty quickly and they obviously believe there's a big use down the track for it somewhere."

In a YouTube video announcing the project, Project Wing founder Nicholas Roy said the goal in Warwick was to show the system could do autonomous deliveries.

"We also just really want to get out and learn what it's like to deliver to the neighbour Neil, and see what it's like from their perspective," Mr Roy said.

He said it was years from the product phase, but it was the prototype they wanted to stand behind.

"The next phase is to take the momentum and enthusiasm we've built internally and drive it to enabling the dream of delivering stuff more quickly with proper and due safety," Project Wing lead Dave Vos said.

Delivery drones taking off in America

Last month, Amazon sought permission for drone test flights in the United States, saying it is moving forward on plans for deliveries using unmanned aircraft.

In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, Amazon said that because of restrictions on drones in US airspace, it has been conducting test flights indoors and in other countries.

Amazon said an exemption to FAA rules would be "in the public interest" and "is a necessary step towards realizing the consumer benefits of Amazon Prime Air", which company founder Jeff Bezos has described as a plan for drone delivery to consumers.

Bezos unveiled his idea for drone deliveries last December, and said the company would be ready to launch Amazon Prime Air as early as 2015 if FAA regulations allowed.

The letter said that over the past five months, "we have made advancements toward the development of highly-automated aerial vehicles for Prime Air," which travel at over 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour and can carry loads up to five pounds (2.2 kilos).

Amazon's plan is to allow for deliveries of some goods within 30 minutes of an order.

Amazon predicted in the letter that "one day, seeing Amazon Prime Air will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today, resulting in enormous benefits for consumers across the nation".